Presence systems, presence servers and presence agents

Abstract

The invention namely provides a presence server ( 103 ) comprising: a data repository in which is stored a plurality of user ( 106, 107 ) identities recorded in association with at least one device address and a status, an input interface for receiving a busy or available status updating request ( 2 ) comprising an address of a calling device ( 201 ) and a called user ( 107 ) identity of a user of a called device ( 202 ), a processing unit configured to: when the input interface receives the busy status updating request ( 2 ): retrieve from the data repository a calling user ( 106 ) identity, change the status associated to the calling user ( 106 ) identity into a busy status, when the input interface receives the available status updating request ( 7 ), change the status associated to the calling user identity into an available status, an output interface to access the status of user identities.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. In a communication system comprising:
 a presence server comprising a directory of users of the communication system, the directory of users comprising a plurality of user identities, each user identity identifying a user in association with at least one terminal address, and each user identity being associated with a presence status that is either busy or available, wherein the users of the communication system may update information in relation to their identity and associated terminals through display endpoints; 
 a first Private Branching eXchange (PBX) comprising a first presence agent, the first presence agent comprising a first database comprising a plurality of user identities, each user identity, of the first database, identifying a user in association with at least one terminal address of a terminal connected to the first PBX; and 
 a second PBX comprising a second presence agent, the second presence agent comprising a second database comprising a plurality of user identities, each user identity, of the second database, identifying a user in association with at least one terminal address of a terminal connected to the second PBX, wherein the presence server, the first presence agent, and the second presence agent are interconnected via a messaging and signaling system and protocol, 
 a method of updating presence information in the communication system associated with a first user using a first terminal which is not connected to the first PBX to place a call to a second user using a second terminal connected to the second PBX, the method comprising the steps of:
 the first user updating information in relation to its identity and the associated first terminal in the directory of the presence server; 
 routing the call, comprising the information of a number of the first terminal and a number of the second terminal, to the second PBX; 
 the second PBX routing the call to the second terminal; 
 the second presence agent retrieving in the second database the identity of the second user; 
 the second presence agent sending to the presence server a request for identity of the first user, the request comprising the number of the first terminal and the identity of the second user; 
 the presence server retrieving in the directory the identity of the first user; 
 the presence server changing in the directory a presence status for the second user from available to busy; 
 the presence server sending to the second presence agent the identity of the first user; 
 the second presence agent sending to the first presence agent information that the first user should have a presence status of busy; 
 the first presence agent sending to the presence server a request for changing the presence status for the first user; and 
 the presence server changing in the directory a presence status for the first user from available to busy. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, upon the call ending, the steps of:
 the second presence agent sending to the presence server a request to change the presence status for both the first user and the second user from busy to available; 
 the presence server changing in the directory the presence status for the second user from busy to available; 
 the presence server sending to the first presence agent a request for authorization to change the presence status of the first user; and 
 upon authorization received from the first presence agent, the presence server changing in the directory the presence status for the first user from busy to available. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of the presence server broadcasting, in the communication system, the presence status for both the first user and the second user. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the messaging and signaling system and protocol is the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP). 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein user identities in the directory, the first database and the second database are Jabber Unique Identifiers (JID). 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein exchanges between the presence server, the first presence agent and the second presence agent are in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format. 
     
     
       7. A presence system in a communication system comprising:
 a presence server comprising a directory of users on the communication system, the directory of users comprising a plurality of user identities, each user identity identifying a user in association with at least one terminal address, and each user identity being associated with a presence status that is either busy or available , wherein the users of the communication system may update information in relation to their identity and associated terminals through display endpoints; 
 a first presence agent associated with a first Private Branching eXchange (PBX), the first presence agent comprising a first database comprising a plurality of user identities, each user identity identifying a user in association with at least one terminal address of a terminal connected to the first PBX; and 
 a second presence agent associated with a second PBX, the second presence agent comprising a second database comprising a plurality of user identities, each user identity identifying a user in association with at least one terminal address of a terminal connected to the second PBX, 
 wherein the presence server, the first and the second presence agents are interconnected via a messaging and signaling system and protocol, and 
 wherein the presence server is configured to, upon request from a first user using a first terminal which is not connected to the first PBX, update information in the directory in relation to the identity of the first user and the associated first terminal, 
 wherein the second presence agent is configured to, upon the second PBX receiving from an operator a call and routing the call to a second terminal, wherein the call was placed by the first user using the first terminal and to a second user using the second terminal connected to the second PBX, and wherein the call comprises a number of the first terminal and a number of the second terminal;
 retrieve in the second database the identity of the second user; and 
 send to the presence server a request for identity of the first user, the request comprising the number of the first terminal and the identity of the second user, 
 
 wherein the presence server is further configured to, upon request from the second presence agent comprising the number of the first terminal and the identity of the second user:
 retrieve in the directory the identity of the first user; 
 change in the directory a presence status for the second user from available to busy; and 
 return to the second presence agent the identity of the first user, 
 
 wherein the second presence agent is further configured to:
 receive from the presence server the identity of the first user; and 
 send to the first presence agent information that the first user should have a presence status of busy, 
 
 wherein the first presence agent is configured to:
 send to the presence server a request for changing the presence status for the first user from available to busy, 
 
 and wherein the presence server is yet further configured to, upon request from the first presence agent:
 change in the directory a presence status for the first user from available to busy. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The presence system of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the second presence agent is further configured to, upon the call ending, send to the presence server a request to change the presence status for both the first user and the second user from busy to available, 
 wherein the presence server is further configured to:
 change in the directory the presence status for the second user from busy to available; 
 send to the first presence agent a request for authorization to change the presence status of the first user; and 
 upon receiving authorization from the first presence agent, change in the directory the presence status for the first user from busy to available. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The presence system of  claim 7 , wherein the presence server is further configured to broadcast in the communication system the presence status for both the first user and the second user. 
     
     
       10. The presence system of  claim 7 , wherein the messaging and signaling system and protocol is the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP). 
     
     
       11. The presence system of  claim 10 , wherein user identities in the directory, the first database and the second database are Jabber Unique Identifiers (JID). 
     
     
       12. The presence system of  claim 10 , wherein the exchanges between the presence server, the first presence agent and the second presence agent are in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.